Animal Collective: WXPN's February 2009 Artist to Watch

Emerging from the collaborative efforts of Baltimore school friends David "Avey Tare" Portner, Noah "Panda Bear" Lennox, Josh "Deakin" Dibb and Brian "Geologist" Weitz, Animal Collective is rooted in experimental music. Pinpointing the Collective's style in terms of genre is a difficult task; with a track record of nine studio albums, they've spread themselves across a eclectic board of psych, folk, rock, noise, and more.

Their idiosyncratic melodies and yelping vocals, paired with offbeat and energetic performances, has earned them a significant amount of exposure and a dedicated fan-base - despite remaining relatively underground. A distinguishable trademark of the band is their approach to showcasing their material, which is often played live before hitting the recording studio.

Such is the case for their ninth and latest album release Merriweather Post Pavilion, which encompasses a series of polished concert pleasers and new material. After the worthy hype surrounding 2007's Strawberry Jam and last year's Water Curses EP, the anticipation for MPP's release was overwhelming. A mesmerizing bundle of joy, MPP embodies the plush findings of the collective's past musical explorations through campfires and fields of strawberries. Overall, the album oozes with the essence of basic human senses, wants and needs; and while it may be pinned as their more accessible "pop-album", it is far from your traditional pop findings.

Since 2007, they have been extensively touring the U.S. and Europe and will continue to do so throughout the spring and summer.